Electric-current regulator



(No Model.) I

J. A. WILLIAMS. ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR.

No. 450,985. Patented Apr. 21,1891.

WITNESSES: dan t/ m R 01 T W W E V N l l lCDl'L ATTORNEYS UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH AROHIBALD VILLIAMS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC-CURRENT REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,985, dated April21, 1891.

Application filed November 15, 1890. Serial No. 371,560- (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JosEPH ARCHIBALD VILLIAMS, of Cleveland, in thecounty of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and ImprovedCurrent-Regulator, of whlch the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings,

forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional elevationof my improved current-regulator; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partlyin section, of a series of connected compound bars.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

The object of myinvention is to construct a current-regulator forattachment to dynamos for regulating the current by moving the brushestoward or away from the neutral line.

My invention consists in the combination of a compound thermostatic barwith the cir cuit-wires of a dynamo, a pairof compound thermostatic barsoppositely arranged with respect to each other, connected with themovable brush-holding bar, and current-shifting devices arranged tothrow the current into one or the other of the secondary compoundthermostatic bars.

The casing A, which contains the working parts of my improved regulator,is provided with a horizontal partition 13, which, together with thecasing, is preferably made of insulating material. At or near the centerof the casing there are guidesa a, through which passes the rodO. Thelower end of the rod 0 is provided with a piston b, fitted to adashpotc, secured to the bottom of the casing A. The upper end of the rod 0 isconnected by a link (1 with the movable brush-holding bar D, the pivotalpoint of which is coincident with the axis of the commutator-cylinder E.The bar D carries the brushes F F, which bear upon the periphery of thecommutatorcylinder E.

To the top of the casing A is attached a curved compound thermostaticbar G, formed of two bars of metal of unequal expansibility, preferablyof a bar 6 of iron and a bar f of brass, fastened together by brazing orriveting. To the free end of the compound thermostatic bar G is pivoteda link g, which is pivotally connected with an arm 7L, attached to therod 0. To the horizontal partition 1; is secured a compound thermostaticbar G, like that already described, but oppositely arranged in respectto its position in the easing. The free end of the thermostatic bar G isconnected by a link g with an arm 72, attached to the red C.

To the floor of the casing A is attached a curved compound thermostaticbar G similar to those already described, but made smaller and providedat its free extremity with a contact-piece '1", which projects upwardlybetween two contacts j and j, held by the horizontal partition B in thepath of the said contact 1;.

To the floor of the casing A at one side of the dash-pot c is secured anelectro-magnet 7;, provided with a tubular core Z, to which is fittedthe rod m, provided with the armature n. The upper end of the rod m isfurnished with a head 0, which rests upon a curved spring 19, attachedto the under surface of the horizontal partition B. In the saidhorizontal partition, above the head 0, is arranged a contact-piece q.On the opposite side of the dash-pot c is arranged a magnet 7;, which isprovided with the tubular core Z, to which is fitted the rod m, carryingthe armature n and head 0, as in the other case, which is forced by thespring 2) against the contact piece q.

The larger magnet II, secured to the floor of the casing A, is furnishedwith a tubular core Z to which is fitted a rodm carrying an armature aand the rod m extends up through an aperture in the horizontal partition13, and is pivotally connected with the lever l, fulcriuned in thestandard 7', attached to the top of the horizontal partition l3. Theshorter arm of the lover I is curved downwardly and extends toward therod C, while the longer arm, to which the rodm is pivoted, is connectedwith the lower end of a springs, the upper end of which is attached to abracket 25, secured to the horizontal partition B. The said bracket isprovided with a stop a for limiting the upward movement of the longerarm of the lover I.

The wire J from the dynamo is connected with the compound thermostaticbars G G by the wires w. The wire J from the dynamo is connected withthe fixed end of the compound thermostatic bar G and the free end of thesaid compound thermostatic bar is connected by a wire (6 with oneterminal of the magnet H. The remaining terminal of the magnet H isconnected by a wire b with one terminal of the magnet 7c, the otherterminal of which is connected by the wire 0 with the contact-piece j.The contact-piece j is connected with one terminal of the magnet 7a, and

the remaining terminal is connected by the wire (Z with the wire bconnected with the magnets H 7c. The heads 0 0' of the rods m m areconnected by the wire 6 and the wire 6 is connected with the wire (Z bythe wire f The contact-piece q is connected by a wire 9 with the freeend of the compound thermostatic bar G, and the contact-piece q isconnected by a wire 9 with the free end of the compound thermostatic barG.

lVhen the current in the dynamo is normal,

the contact 1', carried by the end of the conr pound thermostatic bar Goccupies an approximately central position between the con.-

tact-pieeesjj; but when the current increases beyond the prescribedlimit the compound thermostatic bar G is heated and thrown over,

so that the contact i touches the contact-piece j and closes the circuitof the magnet 7t, thereby drawing down the armature n and breaking 0 thecircuit between the heado and contact 1,

thus causing the current to cease through the compound thermostatic barG, and allowing the greater part of the current to [low through themagnet 70 and the wire (Z and the whole 5 current flows through thewires f 6 head 0, contact q, and wire 9* to the compound thermostaticbar G, thence through the wire o to the conductor J; and at the sametime that the contact-piece 2' on the free end of the compoundthermostatic bar G is'in contact with the piece j the current divides atthe points of contact in the ratio of the resistances of the magnet 70and H, respectively, and as the whole current would be divided partwould be shunted from the magnet I'I through the magnet 70, which wouldreduce the power of the magnet ll suftieiently to allow the tension ofthe spring 8 to raise the lever I and depress its shorter arm, therebyfreeing or unclamp- 5o ing the red O and leaving it free to move.

The current flowing through the compound thermostatic bar G will heatit, causing its free end to ascend, while the cessation of the currentthrough the compound thermostatic 5 5 bar G will allow the bar to cool,contract, and curve upward, so as to act in conjunction with the bar G,thus moving upward the red O, tiltin g the brush-arm D, and moving thebrushes away from the neutral point or points of maXi- 6o mum current.The current being thus diminished, the compound thermostatic bar G willcool down and break the electric contact between its free end and thecontact j, when the rod m will be returned to its normal position andthe whole currentwill flow through both thermostatic bars G G alike. Itwill also flow through the magnet II, causing its armature n to be drawndown, thus bringing the shorter arm of the lever I into contact with thered C, binding it firmly in its position so longas the whole currentflows through the magnet ll.

lVhen thecurrent passes below the normal, the compound thermostatic barG cools and straightens more or less, bringing its free end into contactwith the point j, when the current will pass through the magnet 7t,drawing down the armature 7L, thus breaking the circuit between the head0 and contact-point q, causing the current to pass through the compoundthermostic bar G, and causing it to cease in the bar G, when theclamping device will now unelamp the red C, and the said thermostaticbar G will cool, and its free end will move downward, while thethermostatic bar G will heat and tend to curve in toward its fixed end,and both thermostatic bars together will move the red C downward,thereby carrying the brushes toward the point of maximum current.

The operation of breakin the circuit at either contact-piece q orqshunts the current partly from the magnet H and releases the rod (1,thus allowing the spring 3 to lift the longer arm of the lover I, andwhenever the current is restored by the head 0 or 0 coming into contactwith the contact-pieces q q the whole current is restored in the magnetII and the rod 0 is again clamped in position.

here a single compound thermostatic bar G or G is insufficient formoving the brushes, or where the current does not produee in a singlecompound thermostatic bar sufficient heat for securing the requiredmotion, a number of thermostatic bars G are arranged in series, as shownin Fig. 2, being connected electrically alternately at opposite ends, sothat the current is compelled to pass up and down through the entireseries.

I11 lieu of the curved compound thermostatic-bars G G, I may in somecases use curved bars of spring metal. Therefore I do not limit orconfine myself to the exact c011- struction herein shown.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In an electriocurrent regulator, the combination,with the movable brush-holder of a dynamo, of two thermostatic barsoppositely arranged with respect to each other and connected with thebruslrholder, and mechanism for shifting the current from one bar to theother, substantially as specified.

2. In an electric-current regulator, the combination, with thebrush-holder of a dynamo, of two thermostatic bars oppositely arrangedwith respect to each other and connected with the brush-holder, and anauxiliary thermostatic bar for directing the current through either ofthe brnsh-movin g bars, substantially as specified.

3. In an clectriccurrent regulator, the com.-

bination, With the brush-moving rod, of an electrically operatedclamping lever for clamping the brush-moving rod when the on rrent isnormal, substantially as specified.

4. In an electric-current regulator, the combination, with theoppositely-arranged thermostatic brush-moving bars, of an auxiliarythermostatic bar for controlling the direction of the current in theregulator, and two circuit-breaking eleetro-magnets controlled by theauxiliary thermostatic-bar, substantially as specified.

5. In a current-regulator, the combination of the rod 0, provided withthe piston b, the dash-pot c, the compound thermostatic bars G G, theauxiliary compound thermostatic bar G the magnets 70 7t, rods m m,provided JOSEPH ARCIIIBALD WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

J. XV. SMITH, Z. M. HUBBELL.

